How about the People we meet on the dive boats?

[ronscuba]

I try to keep conversation light and polite. That goes for questions and responses. However, get a few drinks in me and everything changes.

 

[Bubblesong]

I try to keep conversation light and polite. That goes for questions and responses. However, get a few drinks in me and everything changes.

Do tell? Me too, but never on a dive boat, for the best really. Right about the time I got certified I had been working couple years in organ transplant laboratories, matching unfortunates in need of kidneys with less fortunate brain dead kidney donors. I had no tact at the time talking about this topic with people fully aware that the boat had chests of ice, an enthusiastic transplant technician, and the potential for a dive to turn south and leave them embolized and flatlining at my feet. Interesting that I have never, in 29 years of diving, seen anyone late back to the boat. Very considerate crowd, divers.

 

[lermontov]

I think most people ask about occupation as an icebreaker to find common interest - One of my regular dive buddy runs a dive op and the last thing he wants to talk about is his job. Having said that the only person that Ive had irritations with was an instructor who talked to everyone like they were his OW students barking orders and telling everyone to hurry up

Dived with a doctor once and when I changed into my wetsuit commented on all my scars and shoulder dislocations -occupations are an integral part of our lives

 

[divad]

I have rarely discovered anyone's personal business on a dive boat. I don't really want to know what my fellow divers do for a living, and I don't generally share such personal details with people I have only known for a few days, either. I'd prefer that on a dive boat, we're all just divers, and leave our daily lives behind. Sure, after a week on a liveaboard, you might have an inkling of who your fellow divers are, but I don't really want to know more or feel pressured to volunteer more. I'll take cultural differences into account, though; for example, in some parts of the world, such as Indonesia, asking about family seems to be just typical polite conversation. More generally, though, and especially among my fellow Americans, I think people who volunteer a lot of personal information before they really know you are often just blowhards who like to hear themselves talk.

This reminds me of someone I met on a boat-ramp @ Lake Jocassee........

 

[ronscuba]

Do tell? Me too, but never on a dive boat, for the best really. Right about the time I got certified I had been working couple years in organ transplant laboratories, matching unfortunates in need of kidneys with less fortunate brain dead kidney donors. I had no tact at the time talking about this topic with people fully aware that the boat had chests of ice, an enthusiastic transplant technician, and the potential for a dive to turn south and leave them embolized and flatlining at my feet. Interesting that I have never, in 29 years of diving, seen anyone late back to the boat. Very considerate crowd, divers.

I am including liveaboard diving and not just day boats.

Typical 1 week liveaboard you are spending a lot of time with people. After the last dive of each day, wine, beer liquor is available. I tend to talk too much after a few drinks.

 

[sharky60]

over our 21 years of visiting the island, we've met many wonderful people diving in Coz.

I write all the "boat people's" names and info in my travel journal and we have become good friends with many of them, trying to work our vacation in with them in the following years.

Many of the people we have met have moved on to other dive ops, so we don't get to dive with them as much, but we still try to get them to come down when we do, so we can at least spend some time together.